Peru sees 4% rise in cement demand in September

Cement consumption in Peru advanced 3.8 per cent YoY from 0.82Mt in September 2016 to 0.851Mt one year later, according to data from Asocem, the country's cement association.

Total dispatches increased 2.9 per cent YoY to 0.884Mt in September 2017 from 0.86Mt in the year-ago period. This includes a 14 per cent drop in cement exports to 33,000t. However, Peru’s cement producers also exported to 72,800t of clinker.

Domestic cement production rose 4.3 per cent in September to 0.884Mt, when compared with 0.847Mt reported in 2016. To meet market demand, the country imported some 44,300t of cement, as well as 42,700t of clinker, in September.

In the first nine months of 2017, Peru’s cement demand reached 6.986Mt, down 2.4 per cent YoY from 7.158Mt in 9M16. In addition, some 419,500t of cement imports arrived in the country, up 2.5 per cent YoY from 409,400t in the year-ago period. Clinker imports fell 8.5 per cent from  433,800t to 396,800t over the same period.

Cement production in the country in the year to date reached 7.268Mt, which represents a fall of 3.1 per cent when compared with the equivalent period in 2016, when output stood at 7.498Mt. Of this volume, 251,700t was exported, a 15.6 per cent decrease YoY (9M16: 298,200t). In addition, Peru’s cement producers exported 336,300t of clinker, nearly three times the volume reported in the year-ago period (113,500t).